Soccer

[MDS]

one of you soccer nerds needs to tell me if the complete silence of the tournament is worse this year than ever in the US.  It's never big but I feel like it's not even taking place.  Trust me this is a great thing for me but is it because it's during American sports other than baseball particularly the nfl obviously or is it the disgusting gross morality of it?

ratings are actually up on 2018

but because its the winter not the summer and because theres football going on, there arent a ton (any?) public watches or mass bar gatherings. if thats what youre driving at.

it def feels like less of a big deal to me too

[ice grillin you]

I was hoping of all people faux liberal scarf wearing hipster soccer fans in the US would be somewhat turned off by among other things slavery and homophobia but that has nothing to do with it does it?

[PhillyPhreak54]

I feel the energy here a bit more bc at work I've got guys who are huge soccer fans. We have the conference room TV going, one of the warehouse guys has a TV setup at his station and the others are watching on their phones.

Mexico, Cuba and Ivory Coast are where they're all from so it is huge for them

[MDS]

its 100% the timing

nobody cares about what qatar is. its been reported on and talked about for 12 years and sponsors/the general public didnt give one iota of a farg.

[phattymatty]

US team is not good

been 8 years since they were in the World Cup so people forgot it's a thing

people are mad about how Qatar got it over US. but those people are actually more racist than those who don't care.  it's complicated.

and finally the hype is the same it's always been.

[ice grillin you]

hype is not even on the same planet....shtein used to annoy me so much....I barely know it's going on now

[MDS]

lol none of what matty said is remotely true

its cold, theres football, theres 3 major holidays going on...of course theres no hype. its 100% a tv event that people put on when theres nothing else on.

ratings are great, but theres no like watch parties or anything. so it doesnt feel remotely the same

[Don Ho]

Wales is awful, bad football tonight

[SD]

Wales is awful, bad football tonight

Regardless of what happens today the US beats Iran they move on? Do I have that right?

[phattymatty]

no one invited mds to a watch party so who cares.

but I do think that's right and goal differential shouldn't matter anymore.  EDIT never mind this is not correct. 

people already talking about tanking today so they're fresh for tues.  sitting their best guys against UK will not help a sport that's already extremely hard to care about.

[ice grillin you]

I think having your second game in the World Cup mean nothing already doesn't help...I mean it's literally a friendly in game two of the farging world cup....that's a disgrace...makes it even worse that it's against one of the best teams in the world...I can't imagine the let down for fans of both teams

what's the point of even watching

[phattymatty]

I don't disagree but also it does mean something in that if they win today they are in and next game doesn't matter.   win over UK would obviously be much better all around for US than a win over Iran

[phattymatty]

looks like quite a few scenarios still lol


If USA beats England: USA would be guaranteed to advance with at least a tie against Iran. The USA would be eliminated with a loss to Iran, but only IF England beats Wales. If the USA loses to Iran and England-Wales ends in a tie, or Wales wins, the USA goes into a tiebreaker for second place.

If USA ties with England: USA would advance with a win over Iran and would be eliminated with any other result.

If USA loses to England: USA would be automatically eliminated if it fails to beat Iran. If it beats Iran, it would advance, UNLESS Wales beats England AND finishes with a better goal differential.

[MDS]

the soccer discussion here makes me want to be a woman in iran

[phattymatty]

lol I got very high this morning and am ashamed that I wrote so many words on something I barely care about.